Solo Woman Traveling North India

I was thinking my route would be Mumbai-Udaipur-Jodhpur-Delhi and then do the triangle. But- I have heard some very negative things about women traveling alone in India.

You should do it as: Mumbai-Udaipur-Jodhpur-Jaipur-Agra-Delhi.
Thousands of women travel alone in India every year. Dress decently, avoid late night outs, book 1 or 2 class trains, hire services(taxi etc.) from reputed vendors, avoid making new friends : are some points which you may follow and you will be pretty safe.

I am also considering doing a tour through Gecko Tours for part of it, but tour travel is really not my favorite. I guess my main concerns are really transportation and how safe it would be to be a woman alone on the overnight trains?

You can do it all on your own. Book hotels of your choice first.
Mumbai-Udaipur (flight)
from Udaipur, you may hire a car upto Delhi. It will be convenient & flexible.

@kaitlynnicole02

Hello Kaitlyn, and welcome to Thorntree.

Sound advice from incrediblenorthindia above.

I guess my main concerns are really transportation and how safe it would be to be a woman alone on the overnight trains?

If you travel in 1AC or 2AC you will be just fine. Personally, I think even 3AC would present no risk to your personal safety.

That said, for your itinerary, it will be best to:

Mumbai - Udaipur - flight

Udaipur - Jodhpur - car+driver (you can make arrangements at your hotel in Udaipur). There is no direct rail connection between these two cities, and you should take the day for the journey with stops at Kumbhalgarh Fort and Ranakpur Jain Temple.

Jodhpur - Jaipur is just a 5 hour journey by train, so you if you felt more comfortable you could do that in the evening (or during the day) rather than overnight.

Jaipur - Agra - similarly is just 4 hours so no need to travel overnight. If you took a car+driver then you could consider a stop at either Abhaneri Stepwell or at Fatehpur Sikri.

Agra - Delhi - again can be as little as 2 hours by train, so not required to be completed overnight.

For your safety and security you should book your trains and accommodation well in advance, and arrange for your hotel or guest house to pick you up and drop you off at the train station or the airport.

To book the trains yourself, online before you arrive in India, you will need to set up an account with the IRCTC. To do that, you must follow the instructions on this website: http://www.seat61.com/India.htm#book%20-%20from%20outside

As incrediblenorthindia suggests, and if it was within your budget - hiring a car+driver for most of your trip may be a good option for you.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Many thousands of women travel alone in India, without incident.

Have a look at this post for the links I've provided there:
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/asia-indian-subcontinent/india/travel-plans-to-india-in-june-safety?page=1#post_21344561

And also you might want to read this: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/asia/travel-tips-and-articles/77744

http://www.global-gallivanting.com/top-female-bloggers-reveal-why-women-love-traveling-in-india/ and follow the links to some of those blogs.

And a little ebook: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/38731

Lots of general pointers and tips:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/asia/travel-tips-and-articles/76017

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/asia/travel-tips-and-articles/77744

http://www.roughguides.com/article/india-ten-tips-for-first-time-travellers/

http://askmen.com/top_10/travel/top-10-tips-to-survive-your-first-trip-to-india.html

http://wanderlustandlipstick.com/wandertips/india/tips-and-tricks-for-staying-sane-while-solo-in-india/

http://floratheexplorer.com/happy-safe-solo-travelling-india-yourself/

http://www.journeywoman.com/girltalk/india/indeindia.html

Hi Kaitlyn
Travelling is a great things that comes in anyone’s life, and solo travelling is just one step ahead. And while travelling everyone has some good and bad experience that does not means the place is good, places are always good and people are also good but with some exception. I will not deny the fact that there had been some cases but it doesn't mean that India is not safe for travelling. You feel safe and nice here in India. There is nothing bad in exploring India as a Solo female traveller.
Trains are good for overnight travelling if you are choosing it for First Class, and for long distance, and for local tour rental car is good option. Have a great vacation.

Hi! I am female and I traveled solo in northern India this past year- Delhi-Orcha-Khajuraho- Jaipur-Jaisalmer-Delhi-Raiwala-Rishikesh-Amritzar-Patankot-Dharamsala-Delhi. I traveled on trains (2-3rd class)and buses; I had no problems. I dressed in longer pants and shirts with sleeves- no revealing clothing ever. In most towns, except Rishikesh and McCleod Ganj, I did not go out after dark. I met truly wonderful people, mostly men. You will not find many women, who are not accompanied by their families. If you travel 2 or 3rd class on the trains in the side berths, there will likely be a family across the aisle from you and they seemed to enjoy practicing their English with me. I accidentally got stuck late at night in a second class train car and the young men on board not only made room for me in the car but they also helped me run back to my correct train car when the train finally pulled into a station with a long enough platform. I traveled less by bus but I had no problems when I did. Just be sensible, follow your intuition, remove yourself if you feel uncomfortable, and don't get mixed up in crowds or festivals. Enjoy your travels.

I really, really appreciate all of your responses and they have calmed my fears. I was leaning towards a group tour before this, but think I might actually be able to make this solo travel thing work now. Thank you so much for all your advice! When I talk to people at home they seem to have some very dangerous conceptions about India, whether founded or not, I just didn't want to risk putting myself in a dangerous situation. Thank you!

If you go for accom that is mentioned in the guidebooks then there will be other travellers around.

When I talk to people at home they seem to have some very dangerous conceptions about India, whether founded or not, I just didn't want to risk putting myself in a dangerous situation. Thank you!

Had any of the people that you talked to ever travelled to India ?

No, most of them haven't. Although I do have a couple of Indian friends who say they wouldn't go by themselves. I'm just curious as to what I should really be prepared for in terms of safety as opposed to SE Asia. I try not to put too much emphasis on things I read, but have read some troubling news reports. Is it easy to meet other travelers in India?

Thanks so much for your response! Yes, I will try to plan out my route beforehand so I know where I will be staying.